Am I Worthy?

"Place your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you, for He never allows the upright to fall." - Psalm 55:22

The journey towards God is a painful one because God's role in our lives is to make us complete. This means that when you place your heart on God, for a second you might be feeling like you're doing really well, but God brings out in you those fears and insecurities you didn't even know you had. We are all broken in many more ways that we can imagine and God seeks to heal us, put us together. In my case, as I have been sharing with you, I have worry/ anxiety issues. I know I should trust in God completely, but when I'm in a bind, I get overly anxious, nervous, and usually start crying in despair. As a matter of fact, what motivated me to be a straight A student in school had always been the fear of getting yelled at by a teacher, or the fear of failing and being seen as stupid. I never even realized the degree to which I felt this until God brought it up to the forefront for healing. I'm praying about it and I know He's working on it.

In the same way, I know you have deep seeded fears, insecurities, anxieties. Maybe they're similar to mine or maybe they're totally different. The point is that when we realize these issues we have within ourselves, we might not think we're worthy of God. I felt like this this week - in my despair I felt that I didn't trust God enough with my problems just because He took longer than usual to answer me. Then I thought to myself, "why would God help me if I failed Him?" And I'm sure you, at one point or another, feel the same way. We all have problems and drama that we deal with every day and when the Word of God tells us to put our trust in Him because He will sustain us, we really want to do that. We really want to just rest in His arms where things are safe and nothing bad or hurtful ever happens. But then we read the next part about God doing this for the upright…is that me? I'm not holy. I carry so many sins and let God down constantly with my poor faith…is God's promise then not for me? Our own low self-esteem might say that it doesn't apply to us, but if you're reading this right now, it does apply to you. No matter how broken you are and how many sins you commit, if your heart is placed on trying to follow the Lord, then you are upright. Jesus' best friends betrayed Him at His death, but He still gave them His church to run for Him. The Lord knows our sins better than we do so when our hearts and our minds are trying to please Him, that alone make us upright and righteous in His eyes…then He will heal us, He will sustain us and never let us fall.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for being so merciful. You overlook my many faults because of Your love for me and then try to heal me of all my wounds. See me as Your clay so that You can mold me and fix me as You please. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Remember

"Remember what happened to your ancestors. Who has ever trusted in the Lord and been confounded? Who has persevered in fear of the Lord and been abandoned? Who has called upon Him and not been heard?" - Sirach 2:10

As I was telling you on Sunday, I was very upset about something and felt a lot of pain because I realized that my faith wasn't as strong as I thought it was if I was letting my anxiety get the best of me instead of trusting in God. I should have been more calm but while going through it, I decided to give thanks to God for what He had done for me in the past. I had to keep reminding myself that God has gotten me out of binds before and has come to my rescue time after time. As a matter of fact, there hasn't been anything I've asked Him for that He hasn't given me. Some of those things have come in the way I expected, while a lot of my prayers were answered in different ways which He used to show me how He knows best. Ultimately, what is getting me through is to remember this verse above. Who can ever say that they trusted in God and been let down? Who, when really trying to follow God's ways, can say that God didn't hear them, abandoned them? The only people who I have ever heard say this, are people who have never really realized that the will of God should be their will because His ways are higher than our ways. I heard a preacher say that it is our faith that activates the power of God and although you might see yourself suffering unjustly and stuck in a situation you can't stand, memorize this verse and hold it in your heart. If you hold it in your heart and repeat it to yourself, then you will have hope, and when you have hope, your faith increases, and it is your faith that will let you see the power of God!

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You gave Abraham a child in his old age, You parted the Red Sea and brought Your children out of Egypt, You sent us Your son to die for our sins, and all my life You have been there to show me Your love. Help me to remember You now and Your works when I am weak. Let this memory fill me with the hope and faith I need to wait for Your deliverance. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Look and See

"A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but nothing shall befall you. Look and see how the wicked are repaid." - Psalm 91:7-8

Sometimes in our lives we have to face people and obstacles that come at us really hard. There seems to be no help nor a way out. Imagine the obstacles faced by the psalmist to say that in life, you may see a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand…you may see all kinds of problems from financial to health issues pile up on top of you, and out of no where, get slammed with even more. But even when this is the case, if you have made God your strong hold, the One in whom your trust lies, nothing will happen to you, no matter what you see happening around you. That's what true faith in God does. The bigger the problem(s) is, the bigger the protection and hand of God, the Almighty.

I'm super stressed right now with a new client at work and I have what seems like an impossible mission to complete by Monday. However, I will keep trusting in God to take care of it for me and I know that come Monday, I will tell you about what God did to resolve this. As I was praying right now about the problem, I remembered this verse and how it says "look and see how the wicked are repaid." It feels as though as big as the problems we face are, if we trust in Him, He tells us to just sit and watch as He does all the work for us. After all, what is impossible for man is possible to God. We have to remember that we, ourselves, can't do anything, but everything is in His hands and all the glory belongs to Him. The wicked could be someone who is actually causing you a problem now, or it can be a thing that's being a major problem for you, either way *know* that no matter how overwhelming and hopeless it may feel right now, or if you wake up to even more issues tomorrow, you are in the palm of God's hand if you trust Him, and for your faith, He will reward you by letting you witness how He comes in for your rescue. Just look and see.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the King of all that exists. You brought everything into being and everything obeys Your command. Help me keep my hope in You and see my faith through until the day You show me how You are to answer my prayers. Thank You, Lord, for Your kindness and goodness to me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

It's Not Him, It's You

"I loved Israel when He was a child: out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I have called, the further from me they have gone." - Hosea 11:1-2

When I was 19 I refused to talk to God. Things with my boyfriend of almost 4 years weren't working out and in my mind it was all God's fault. On the night I realized things weren't going to work out between my boyfriend and I, I locked myself up in the bathroom and with warm tears rushing down my face, I screamed at God: "Why are You doing this to me? You KNEW how much I wanted this and now, because You just don't feel like it, You're taking this away from me after I asked You sooo many times???!!!!"

After this, I didn't lose my faith but I was angry. As someone angry with a friend, I would be "cordial" to God. I would go to church but I wouldn't pray. In my anger and hurt, I would say, "what do I need to pray for? God does whatever He wants anyway!" This is where a lot of people, unfortunately, get stuck. They never see beyond that apparent betrayal from God. I was lucky that I kept my heart open, and with time I came to realize the new peace I had in my life and the new opportunities God had given me after that break-up. I saw the reasons why He did it and I'm glad I never let the hurt from my past relationship keep me from seeing God's good intentions for me. So many people feel God has abandoned them or maybe even, that God might not exist. Just like people in the time of the prophet Hosea turned from God, so do we turn away from God, putting our own walls up that block Him from getting in.

This summer I was called in for what really would have been my dream job. I was contacted by a VP of a record label to be a product manager and I was ecstatic. We went as far as discussing base salary and how they would even pay for my new blackberry. Then, for reasons I wasn't sure of, they decided not to hire me. I really can't tell you how hurt I was, especially because I really hated my job at the moment. I was so close to my dreams and they were snatched right out in front of me. I did cry, but unlike when I was 19, through my tears I decided to praise God because I KNEW He had something better for me. I know other people would probably get angry and ask why would God let me go so far to only lose in the end, but I don't want to be like those other people that doubt His love and His plans for me. And the Lord is so good that because of my trust and faith in Him, He's shown me the reasons behind the things He does…two weeks ago, everyone in the marketing department I would have gone into was laid off, including the VP that interviewed me.

Your relationship with God all depends on your own attitude. The case in most relationships when people say to another, "it's not you, it's me," but they're really lying, does not apply to God. In every case, it really is us! It's us if we aren't open enough to give God time to work and show us the good He's doing behind all these apparently horrible things. God is always looking for us. God always loves us and God is always there. Any absence of God is only falsely perceived.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for being so blind to the good You want to do for me. Forgive me for wanting to hold on to things and getting upset when You try to change things. Teach me to let You have the control. Teach me to trust in You so that I can see the powers of Your hand. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Against Us

"If God is with us, who shall be against us?" - Romans 8:31

I think that we don't take enough strength from our faith sometimes. We believe in God, but a problem in our relationship is dragging us down. We believe in God, but money is scarce and we don't see a way out. We believe in God, but now this sickness has come and it could be the end. Put that faith into practice. If you believe in God, then it is God that has allowed whatever problem to enter your life, and for a good reason which He will use to bless you. This is why, although sometimes difficult, you must remember that God is on your side. Therefore, if God is with you, who or what can possibly be against you? God has got it covered! The work that you have left to do is to pick yourself up and have an attitude of victory. Faith is not faith if you walk around depressed until you see your prayers being answered. Faith is faith when although things look very bad, you walk around knowing that God Almighty is on your side and nothing will or can defeat you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You are powerful and You are good. Help me to always remember this so that when I feel weak, I know that You are all the strength I need. In Your Name we pray, amen.

A Scary Road Ahead

"But I put my trust in you, O Lord. You are my God; my days are in your hands." - Psalm 31:14-15

It is so scary to face the future and come across opportunities in which we have to make serious decisions. Sometimes we know what to do but most times we don't. I remember how scary it was to pick a college and pick a major. It felt so final and how was I to know at that age what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life? And then after college, where was I to work? Now I find myself thinking about marriage and it being so permanent when I'm not sure where my path will lead in a couple of months. Life is so scary; and there's no way of knowing if the choices you make will be good or bad in the long term. Will I be ok in the long term? Will I be ok in 6 months? Or 1 month?

I only know one thing though, and that's that I am going to trust in God to guide me through. He knows where He's taking me even if He lets that road be dark for a couple of miles. I tell Him every day that I hope that He really knows that no matter what, I just want to be led by Him. Tonight in my ministry class, my teacher shared a poem written by a monk named Thomas Merton. I found myself and all I was feeling in those words and it showed me that in all walks of life, we are all scared, but in all walks of life, God is there.

I hope it brings you comfort as you try to figure out your path:

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that my desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me; you will never leave me to face my perils alone."

God Will Never Let You Fall

"Place your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you, for He never allows the upright to fall." - Psalm 55:23

I'm a huge worrier. A couple of months ago, when I thought something was going to go wrong at work, I would freak out and let myself get overworked. But the closer I got to the Lord, the more I learned to trust Him. Now, when deadlines are approaching and things don't seem to be going my way, I am relaxed because I just know that some way, some how, the Lord is good and He will work it all out for me. This is something the Lord wants to do for you as well if you give up your trust to Him. Your burden could be your job, your financial situation, health, school, family or your own emotional problems. No matter what it is, if you give it unto God, He will take care of it. You can rest assured. It says here that God will never ever allow for the upright, those who follow Him and pray to Him, to fall. You could see everything going against you - King David wrote it psalms that his enemies were closing in on him, yet no matter how close danger got, no harm ever came upon him. You could see yourself at the very bottom, but the Lord won't allow it to go any further. The key here is to be upright. Look for the Lord. Give Him the time He deserves. Watch your life and do what is pleasing to Him. Do away with the things you know the Lord is against and He will look with favor upon you. Trust in Him for no matter what you're going through, He takes up your burden. He sustains your life. He will never let you fall…never.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for sustaining my life through all of my trials. You give me life and take care of me. Throughout everything I can never say that You have let me down. I love You, my Lord. In Your Name we pray, amen.

When The Ground Shakes From Under Us

"God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the deepest ocean, though its waters foam and roar, though the mountains quake and totter. For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our stronghold." - Psalm 46:1-3

The earth definitely shakes underneath us at times, doesn't it? It might not literally happen, but things happen in our lives that shake us to our very core and bring real pain and despair into our lives. The psalmist knew this clearly. He lived in a time where the people studied nature and the seasons because any disaster or change could severely affect their livelihood. Therefore, he was wise in comparing despair in our own lives to a violent natural disaster. It affects our whole being and leaves us feeling without hope and no way out. But despite the initial fear, the psalmist, finds the faith to say that no matter what goes on, he will trust in the Lord, his source of strength.

Of course this is hard to do! But by putting your faith in the Lord, where your own strength fails, the Lord will pick up. That's how people get through so many tragedies in their lives. They trust in the Lord. Though the ground shakes right under them, they trust in the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, without You I have no place to turn and no solution for my troubles. Deliver me Lord as I choose to trust in You and look for You for strength. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Trust in Humans

"This is what the Lord says, 'Cursed be the man who trusts in human beings and depends on a mortal for his life, while his heart turns away from the Lord.'" - Jeremiah 17:5

One of the most emotionally painful things anyone could go through is betrayal. It's called betrayal because it's a deception we receive from someone we love with all our hearts and someone we confided in. God knows this pain and knows how damaging it is. The effects of a betrayal stay for a life time causing pain, hate, and distrust in the person betrayed and guilt in the one who betrayed. You see, God created us and knows how weak our human nature is. Like the verse says, we're mortals, we're all flawed creations and intentionally or unintentionally we will get hurt and we will hurt others. That's why we need to learn to never, ever trust someone with all of our heart except for God because only He is eternal and only His love is unconditional. You cannot put all your faith and trust into your wife, husband, parents, siblings, best friends, no one. As long as we're mortal and human, we will hurt others. We need to accept this and not be surprised when we're dealt hurt from the people we love since at one point or another they will disappoint us. That's not to say we shouldn't love others and be close to others, but we should never trust anyone but the Lord.…that way, we are not devastated when the blows come. And honestly, the only way to do this is to put your trust in God and pray to Him all the time. God is a rock we should depend on. He will move our hearts to where they need to be so that when the pain comes, we won't be as affected by it as when we solely loved and trusted in a flawed human being.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, guard my heart from all betrayal and pain caused by others. Whether they mean it or not, the lies and deceptions they plotted have hurt me and caused a deep pain in my heart. Let me only trust in You my Lord so that I will never be let down again. In Your Name we pray, amen.

For The Good of Those Who Love Him

"We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him." - Romans 8:28

Sometimes we get what we want but a lot of times we lose. A lot of times things happen to us that we don't quite understand and those things might cause us to get angry at God and jealous at those who seem to have what we're missing. But put your hope in the Lord because when you do, everything that happens to you, good and bad, is for your ultimate good. Why let anger and disappointment set in when God is working to give you more? When you trust in Him, you will see your prayers answered, maybe not in the form in which you wanted, but He will let you know that He is good and He is alive in your life.

Back in August, I wrote about trusting in God even when things don't work out our way. I wrote about how I lost something I really wanted. That something was a dream job that was offered to me. The company called me in, I met with the head of the online marketing department and it seemed like it was in the bag. I was so so happy. Then, a week later, I found out they couldn't bring me in. I had waited so long for a position like that and then it was gone. I could have asked myself why God would do that to me. Why would He bring in the job, get my hopes up and then take it away? But I didn't. Although I was so hurt I wanted to cry, I thanked Him because of this verse; because He is good and He loves me enough to only give me what's best for me. Fast forward to today and that same guy who interviewed me called me. He called to tell me how he was glad he couldn't bring me in because the label was going through changes, and on Friday they laid off everyone I would have been working with, and I would have been let go too. God took care of me for I know His Name. I didn't doubt, I just trusted and because of this, He showed me why He does things. If this is what He does to protect me, I can only imagine what He'll do to bless me and my future. Put your hope in the Lord. Trust Him, come good or come bad…as badly as your world may shake, the Lord is good and is working on turning your bad into good. Wait on the works of His hands.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are good, You are holy, You are just, and You are loving. Thank You for answering my prayers in ways I do not see and for protecting me for I know Your Name. Please help me stay grateful always and help me spread faith in You to others. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Waiting For God's Answer

""Yahweh, how long will I cry for help while you pay no attention to me?' Then Yahweh answered me and said, 'Write down the vision, inscribe it on tables so it can be easily read, since this is a vision for an appointed time; it will not fail but will be fulfilled in due time. If it delays, wait for it, for it will come and will not be deferred. The proud will never possess my favor, the upright, on the other hand, will live by His faithfulness.'" - Habakkuk 1:2, 2:2-4

Habakkuk was a prophet that called God into account. He would cry out and ask God why certain situations were happening and why He would not show His help in anything. Sound familiar? Each of us has something that's hanging on our shoulders while we cry out to God for help. But when? When will He finally answer us and show us that He's listening and He actually cares?The Lord gives us hope in His answer to Habakkuk. God tells him to write the vision on a tablet for all to see and easily recognize. Therefore, all people will have that plea to the Lord before their eyes as a solid reminder of their hope in God. What is it that you're waiting for? Show your hope in God by keeping it before your eyes always, so that when it's answered, you will see it and know that God came through. But here's the key to this, God comes through at the appointed time. We only know about what we want and when we want it. The Lord, who governs the universe, knows the precise moment to move in order to give you the answer to your prayers with the most blessings possible. Just when you think you can't hold out longer, you realize He's making you stronger and you grow in faith and perserverance. God's timing is perfect; it never delays but arrives exactly when He knows we need it the most…not when we, in our limited vision, think we need it. This is why the Lord says that the upright, those who wait in the Lord, will be blessed because they trusted and made it through out of love for the Lord. Yet the proud, meaning those who are impatient and set out to try to do things on their own, on their own terms, will fail. They seek alternate means, even seeing psychics, horoscopes, proving their lack of confidence in God. That's why their prayers aren't answered sooner and why they receive no comfort during the wait. With what enthusiasm will the Lord want to help those who "cheat" on Him while He was planning great things for them? We need to remain in the Lord, keep our needs before our eyes, and trust in Him because He has never let anyone who truly seeks Him down, and never will.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, through this wait, I trust and hope in You for Your ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Guide me and help me be patient, always increasing in trust in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Grounded In The Lord

"Remember what happened to your ancestors. Who has ever trusted in the Lord and been confounded? Who has persevered in fear of the Lord and been abandoned? Who has called upon Him and not been heard?" - Sirach 3:10

I like to talk to people about my faith and they always have questions. I know so many of you struggle with your faith from time to time and the questions I get asked are usually tough to answer, so I spend a lot of time thinking about answers to possible questions. One thing I usually hear is, "well, I'm not sure I can really believe in or follow God because I asked Him for something and I never saw it," or "if God loves me so much, why is this happening to me?" I could never answer why something happens to someone because only God knows why He acts in certain ways, but I can tell you one thing - when you seek God with all your heart, He will let Himself be found by you and be by your side always. This is what this verse means. Think in your life of people who have deep faith in God, no matter what they go through, God has protected them, hasn't He? And if you're thinking of yourself or someone who was let down by God, upon close examination, you will find that you or that person never really gave your heart up to God. It is not enough to go to church one day, read the bible one day or pray only once a day. You need to be grounded in the Lord daily in order to truly count on His blessings. It's not that He won't help you if you don't, but it's that by walking in His light constantly, you will be more in tune with His will and what He wants from you, so that you will always be protected.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, please search my heart and show me what I can do to grow closer to You. Please direct me in grounding myself in You so I can constantly be in your guidance and protection. In Your Name we pray, amen.

I Messed Up, But God Was There

"Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have called on You." - Psalm 31:17

I almost messed something up reaaalllyyyy bad today! You know how we always hear that we should trust in God, and for us, that's really hard to do! We have trouble believing He's there, let alone trusting Him! Today God confirmed a huge lesson for me, one that taught me that I am correct in trusting Him and made my love for Him greater.

Here's my story - I'm doing marketing for a band on Sony BMG. About two weeks ago I booked them for a live studio session while they're in LA for a big magazine. The magazine invited about a 100 fans for the private performance/ interview. So tonight, I get an email on my blackberry from the guy at the magazine asking me where the band is because everyone is waiting. I was driving when I got the email and immediately pulled over because I had the feeling something was wrong. I called the band's publicist and she said the session was tomorrow, the 4th and not today. When she said the 4th, I remembered there was so much back and forth between doing the session the 3rd or the 4th, that I probably gave the guy the wrong date! I wanted to die! I quickly searched through my emails and found where I had told him the 4th at 6pm, but realized that he had written back, "ok, the 3rd at 6pm then." I did give him the correct date, but I should have caught his error in reading the 3rd. I wrote him back and said he was mistaken about the date, but he then forwarded me the email where he said "ok, the 3rd at 6pm" and he had cc'ed everyone at the label! My clients, the people that hired me! Plus, there were about 100 fans that had been waiting for the band for the last hour…and it was all my fault! So what did I do then? I prayed. For the first time, I prayed with absolute confidence that although things were my fault, God would help me. He would not let me be put to shame. I told the Lord that I trusted Him and to please help me. I copied and pasted back where I had said the 4th and stood by, nervous, waiting for his reply, yet knowing God would make it ok. A minute later, I get an email back from him saying, "it's cool Audrey, there's actually another band in town that came to visit and we could have them do it. The fans are having a great time and don't mind coming back tomorrow."

This is the God that I worship!! And this is the God that wants to work on your behalf too! He is REAL, He is GOOD, and He is waiting for you to call on Him so that He could do even bigger things in Your life. Don't think that He can't or that He won't do it for you, because it's taken me a very long time to come to this point where I can call on Him confidently without doubting. Keep going on your journey because He will show Himself to you in amazing ways!!

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You so much from the bottom of my heart for all You do for me. I don't deserve the way You are with me but You still look out for me, protect me, and defend me from being put to shame. Please let me be forever grateful to You for Your mercy and care. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Right Attitude For God

"Do not be afraid, for from that first day when you resolved to acquire understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your supplications were heard." - Daniel 10:12

I know many of you who are praying so hard and facing so many difficulties but the Lord is good and the Lord is working to answer your prayers. Do not be afraid, do not let fear or anxiety find a place in your heart because God does not want this for you. The bible, in the new and old testaments, repeat to not fear over and over again, therefore, we must trust in the fact that we will not be let down or be put to shame. The Lord is our light and our salvation, of whom should we be afraid? Now, the Lord is and will be doing His part, but while we wait, we must be sure of a few things, that we continue to seek understanding of God's ways and of His truth and that we constantly humble ourselves before Him. When we give up all of ourselves to Him, this is when He can really show His power in us and answer our prayers in a way we would have never imagined!

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for protecting and defending me against all things. Thank You for being there and answering my supplications. Grant that I may always seek You and approach You with a humble heart. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Be Still

"Be still, know that I am God." - Psalm 46:11

My nerves were shot today. Anyone that knows me well knows that when it's time to be somewhere and I'm even a minute late, I start freaking out. As you already know, I have my ministry classes on Wednesdays and since I work in the city, I have to make the 6:35 train to be at my station by 7:10 and in class by 7:30. So I had this big $100K proposal to hand in end of day for a television network. I get it done by 11am and email it off to my boss for revisions and for final approval. After asking him about it, guess what time he comes over to talk? At 6pm! 10 minutes before I have to be out the door. Just giving me all the copy points to revise took 25 minutes and I'm sitting there sooo nervous and so upset I wanted to cry! These classes are so important to me and I was about to miss it. I ended up finishing the document and sending it out at 7:15 and then I dashed to Penn Station to take the 7:54 to my stop. For the whole train ride I was nervous and playing with my nails, my nervous trait. Class ends at 9:30 so when I got to my car at 8:30 I sped over to the church where the classes are held. I was even nervous about walking in so late and having missed something important or having my teacher yell at me but nothing happened. She kindly reviewed with me what I had missed. To end class we always meditate on the Lord and when I closed my eyes and allowed my nerves to calm down, my body to relax and my soul to connect to God, I thought of these words, "Be still, know that I am God."

Our lives are always a mad dash. We run from one place to another and hardly ever have a moment to relax and just reflect. This is especially true when we're in a bind and freaking out about something. I forgot to trust God today. I forgot that He commands time and sets all things in motion so if He allowed for me to be late to class, He would make all things good for me. I freaked out and got upset, as if I could do anything to make things right myself…only He can do that. He taught me today that no matter how bad things seem or the pressure coming down on me, I only need to be still, He is God and He is in control.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I'm sorry for the times I make the mistake of thinking I could actually control things or that by worrying, I can actually affect something and I can't. Only You matter and only You are all powerful. Help me to strengthen my trust in You during this journey. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Give Up The Control To God

"Bow down, then, before the power of God so that He will raise you up at the appointed time. Place all your worries on Him since He takes care of you." - 1st Peter 5:6-7

When God commands something of us, our initial reaction a lot of times is to rebel. His commandments are against what the flesh wants to accept. This verse above has 3 key parts and once you overcome the first part, the rest will follow easily.

Bow down, then, before the power of God - no matter what you're facing right now, health issues, financial issues, personal issues, God is bigger than that, but first you need to realize that God is also bigger than you and any effort that you are making to solve your own problems. Bowing down to God means to go before Him and recognize that on your own, you are nothing. Empty your heart out to Him and recognize that He is the Lord, the King, and you are His servant. When you come to this realization, as hard as it is to let go of the control, you will see the way He moves in your life. You will begin to trust in Him.

At the appointed time means that never too early, but always right on time, you will see the work of His hands in you and you will be astonished at how beautifully things start coming together. While you see your prayers being answered externally at due time, internally God is working to create a new heart in you - a heart that craves to always be connected to this new love you have found in Him. A heart that trusts Him and feels joy in spreading His word and pain in seeing others abuse it.

Then at the last step, placing all your worries on Him because He takes care of you, you recognize that you are completely His and you know that whatever comes at you, is no match for your God who loves you. Your only worry becomes pleasing Him, abandoning yourself to His will and absolutely knowing that He has you in the palm of His hand protecting you.

Go and bow down before His power and get to know this extraordinary love and care.

Today's Prayer:
My God, I empty myself before you because I recognize that without you, I am nothing. I am the work of Your hands and I wish wholeheartedly to abandon myself to Your will. Help me to trust in You and wait patiently on Your deliverance from all my worries and anxieties. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Through Tears

"Why are you so downcast, my soul, why so troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will praise Him again, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:6

I would be a hypocrite if I wrote to you everyday and told you how great it is to follow God because you'll always be happy. That's not true. The truth is that even when you're close to God, bad days will come. I had a horrible day today and spent most of it on the verge of tears, and the rest of it actually crying. And it wasn't one thing either; things were going bad for me on all sides. But you know why I'm lucky? I'm lucky because no matter how bad things get, I have the Almighty on my side. When you follow God, He takes the things that have hurt you and He turns them into great things for you. I'm not going to get mad at God and ask Him why He's let these things happen to me, but instead, I will hope in Him, I will hold on to Him who is my rock and is my strength! And through these tears, I'll look up to Heaven and praise His Name because I KNOW He loves me and I KNOW great things are coming for me around the corner because that's what happens to those who praise and put their faith in the Lord Almighty!!

Today's Prayer:
My God, You know the pain I feel, but You are so much bigger and Your love for me is so much deeper than anything I could feel. My heart, my life, and all that I am are in Your hands. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Waiting for God

"There will be no further delay concerning my words: what I say will be done." - Ezekiel 12:28

God's timing on things is something we only understand after He's answered our prayers. Sometimes I pray for something and He answers me that very day, and other times, it takes months before I see anything happen. It's really easy to give up hope and just think that something isn't going to happen for you and your prayers won't be answered, but if you're asking something of God, you also have to be prepared to a) wait for the answer and b) trust that He is working to get you the best answer He can give you. We live in a culture of instant gratification and we want things on the spot, but God chooses not to work that way, although He can, because when He wants to give us something, He never rushes, instead He takes the time and care that only He can take so that when you see the answer to your prayers, it's something perfect, better than what you asked for originally. All the times you're waiting for something to happen, God is doing two things (if not more) - He's working behind the scenes with all the things you don't even think about to organize all the pieces so that your prayers are answered perfectly, and, He's growing in you, building up your trust and your patience so that you can see His beautiful plans for you take life.

God knows what He's doing so much better than we do, so if we have the confidence to ask Him for something, we should also have the confidence in Him to wait for His answers without doubting. We should always be hopeful if our trust is in the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
God, thank You because Your ways are so much higher than my ways and when I ask You for something, You work to give me what's best for me. Please give me the patience to wait for Your will to be done. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Clinging On

"'Because he clings to me in love, I will rescue him,' says the Lord. 'I will protect him for he knows my Name. When he calls to me, I will answer; in time of trouble, I will be with him; I will deliver and honor him. I will satisfy him with long life and show him my salvation.'" Psalm 91:14-16

The Lord makes so many promises to us in the bible - so many wonderful things He wants to give us and do for us if we let Him. This is a great example of that and one of my favorite verses. Whenever I'm troubled, scared or doubtful about something in my life, I think back to this and I'm immediately motivated and positive. If you really think about what God says He'll do, it's truly amazing. He will rescue us, protect us, be with us, answer us, deliver us, honor us, give us long life and show us His salvation! Just one or two of these would have been great, but He promises us 8 incredible things! That's why Saint Paul says that God gives us so much more than we could ever ask for or imagine! And for these 8 promises, God only wants one back in return, that we cling to Him in love. With knowing God and taking the time to pray to Him each day, we grow to love Him, but He wants us to cling, not just love. Clinging is like hanging on to the side of a mountain when you're about to fall of; you hang on to that piece of rock because your life depends on it and letting go is not an option. So must God be that rock in our lives. We need to cling to Him and have our lives depend on this love. If we learn to do this, then all of God's promises are ours for the taking.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I want nothing more than to cling to You in love. I pray that You continue to reveal Yourself to me because I want nothing more than to live in Your favor and see Your promises fulfilled. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

The Worth of a Believer

"I know your worth; I have opened a door before you, which nobody can close, because you have kept my Word and have not renounced me, in spite of your lack of power." - Revelations 3:8

You know, nothing is as soothing as being with close friends and family, the people that really know you even though it might seem like nobody else appreciates you. Chief among the people on your side is Jesus Christ. In this passage, Jesus is saying that no matter what anyone thinks about you, or what they say about you to your face or behind your back, He knows you and loves you for who you are. He knows what you're worth to God. He also knows your weaknesses and how you struggle at times to do what He wants of you, but the point is that you try. That's why He has promised a great reward for you, a door He has opened that no one and nothing can close. This is the care the Lord has taken for you, even in your weak condition and lack of faith at times. So remember, when you're down, don't feel appreciated or are struggling, Jesus loves you as you are and is waiting to show you that door that He has opened for you.

Today's Prayer:
Thank You Jesus for loving me as I am with all my flaws and defects. I pray that You always give me the courage to stay firm in You day after day. In Your Name we pray, Amen.